Tickets for the Agatha Christie mystery "A Murder Is Announced," adapted by Leslie Darbon, are now on sale at Vickie's Eatery, 315 N. Texas, and at Morning Star, 809 N. Bullard, according to Liz Mikols, the play's producer for the Silver City Community Theatre.

"We are excited for many reasons," says Mikols. "Our mystery will be the first play on the stage that we've created in the J.C. Penney or Workshop of Carneros building in the 400 block of Bullard. The audiences will be sitting in our comfortable new chairs, and they'll be held in suspense by our first class cast."

The mystery, which features 13 Silver City actors, will open Friday, February 23 for a 7:30 pm performance. The Saturday performance will occur at that same time. The Sunday, February 25, performance will begin at 2:30 pm. The following weekend, March 2-4, will have the same schedule.

"Buy your tickets now, " warns Mikols. "Those new chairs are likely to be filled because this town loves mysteries. We had to offer an additional performance the last time we sold out a Christie play."

"A Murder Is Announced" was Christie's 50th book. Gracie Fields, Roger Moore and Jessica Tandy starred in its first stage adaptation in 1956.

Melinda McClanahan, whose warm Southern accent adds a distinctive Silver City sparkle to Miss Marple, replaces Jessica Tandy. McClanahan comes by her theatrical talents honestly. Her late sister Rue played Blanche on the long-running "Golden Girls."

Miss Marple, visiting a niece in Chipping Cleghorn, discovers evil lurking in a very calm, very proper middle-class household, lodged in a cottage called Little Paddocks. The Gazette has featured an advert with stilted language announcing a murder at Little Paddocks.

As other characters natter on about inconsequential fluff, Miss Marple utters those chilling words, "If there's going to be a murder there has to be a victim. If I were you, the question I'd be asking myself is: who is going to be murdered?"

For more information about "A Murder Is Announced" visit silvercitycommunitytheater.com.